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set, the peculiar and even

"DEATH'S SECRET DISCLOSED." laughable circumstance which

evil

When a man dies the doctors say that his heart has failed. That vital organ has ceased to function; accordingly the man is dead. Yes, but what has caused the heart to fail? Doctors point to various symptoms. Such or such conditions or infections have attacked the patient and ultimately brought about his decease. It is all begging the question. What was the original cause of these malevolent factors; why were they fatal ? Only one answer is given. Man is mortal, and death a natural and inevitable process.

One is, therefore, driven back to ask why is man mortal? What is it that holds him to earth, yet mysteriously and inexorably relaxes its hold to allow the soul to escape and condemn the body to destruction ? It is this momentous question which has been answered by the scientific researches to which my life has been mainly devoted. But it must not be supposed, for a moment, that even my youthfully ambitious mind had any such field of inquiry in contemplation when, to satisfy a strong individual taste, and in spite of powerful family opposition, I took up the study of medicine, and was duly qualified to practise it. Nothing was further then from my mind; and perhaps I cannot do better than make a digression and narrate, at the out

led me, quite unsuspectingly, into the grim path of investigation which I have followed ever since.

About fifteen years after I had taken my medical degree I spent some months in London, mainly for the purpose of ascertaining the extent to which research work, in a particular department of medicine, was being undertaken. One day, some friends, of whom I had quite a large circle, invited me to dine with them and meet a certain bishop, whose name was known to me as that of one of the most famous preachers amongst the Anglican clergy. Naturally enough, when about to make the acquaintance of an interesting personality, one generally tries to form a mental picture of him beforehand in harmony with his reputation, either for looks or character or the possession of particular qualities. This is invariably my own practice; and, although I claim no infallibility in the matter, my anticipatory portraits are more often right than wrong. But in the case of the bishop I must admit that I went wholly astray. Hearing him spoken of as a great scholar, a fine orator, and a hard worker amongst the poor in the days when he held a living in a populous and poverty-stricken district, I sketched in my mind the likeness of a tall slight man with a scholarly stoop, an ascetic face, clean-shaven, with

a thin classical nose, thin lips evening I learnt facts about rather compressed, and large the bishop which, clearly and dark eyes capable of emitting much fire.

The reality, after this mental portrait, gave me quite a shock. The bishop proved to be a short tubby man, with an exceedingly red face, small eyes almost invisible through fat, a coloured nose that might have been called a snout, and a very large mouth with thick lips. He radiated good-nature, however; laughed loudly and most contentedly at the dinnertable; and obviously brightened up every time some succulent dish was handed to him. It did not take much power of observation to perceive at once the bishop's ruling appetite in life. I have never seen a man devour more food at a meal where polite conversation, rather than the art of mastication, is supposed to be the dominant cause of assemblage; or, I might add, swallow it with greater apparent relish. An Alderman of the City of London might not have been ashamed to take his first lesson from the bishop in the smacking of lips over turtle soup.

unequivocally, established the truth of his exceptional virtue and excellence. The whole thing, as a psychological problem, made a great impression on my mind both then and thereafter. Over and over again I reflected on the matter, and asked myself how so noble and spiritual a nature could be compatible with a coarse and unrestrained appetite of the most material character.

The solution eluded me for a long time. It was only much later that I was able to recognise, in that obvious incongruity, a wise and purposeful dispensation of Providence. But I must not anticipate. It is sufficient for me to set down here that this apparent clash of the spiritual and physical in a human being diverted my mind into new channels, and led me ultimately to the study of the most vital of all earthly problems.

To resume my narrative at the starting-point, I should explain that, although a qualified physician without a regular practice, I was sometimes sumI do not deny that this spec- moned by my colleagues to a tacle of an eminent Church- consultation; and as I gained man exhibiting so gross a phy- a modest reputation by my sical appetite gave me a very research work in certain debad impression. As dinner pro- partments of medical science, ceeded, I could not help feeling the results of which I published an increasing difficulty in re- in our technical journals from conciling this inordinate love time to time, this happened of food with the bishop's re- more often. In this way it putation as a good man devoted to noble works. But before I left the house that

came about that I gained a considerable knowledge of the practical side of medicine, an

experience which proved of the greatest value to me when my investigations pursued that definite path which led me to the discovery of the most elusive of all secrets.

It was not, however, until after my meeting with the Anglican bishop that this particular turn was given to my line of inquiry. My object in writing this paper is to give a clear indication of the principal landmarks which guided me towards the truth. This will be sufficient, in my opinion, to establish a firm foundation for my theory. I have no wish to convince mankind on the subject. Only the select few will grasp the significance of the cases I purpose to submit. As to the opinions of the others, I am indifferent. I merely feel it my duty to humanity not to quit this earth without leaving behind me some record, however slight, of the fruits of my life's labour.

The light came to me through four notable cases, which were brought to my observation one by one at considerable intervals of time. Several minor experiences in between helped me to form certain conclusions, and served also to keep alive my interest. These I have relegated to the attached Appendix, as they are of purely technical interest, and may be considered merely as supplementary to the main body of facts. I propose, therefore, to set forth in detail the four principal cases in the order of their occurrence.

(1) The Fluctuating Shares.

After meeting the bishop in England, I went back to Leipzig, which I looked upon as my permanent place of residence, and where I had fitted up laboratories for the conduct of my experiments. Naturally enough, I had many friends in the town, and there were few doctors on the active list with whom I had not some sort of acquaintance. Knowing the pleasure I took in the investigation of curious and unusual cases, medical acquaintances not infrequently summoned me, as some sort of psychological expert, to a consultation, or sent me a patient of whose disorder I had made a special study.

One day I was rung up on the telephone by a certain Dr Lenkenzimmer, who stated his wish to consult me about a perplexing case that had occupied his attention for some days. He gave me the address of his patient, in one of the best residential districts near the famous Gewandhaus, and we made an appointment for the following morning.

When I arrived at the house I found my colleague waiting for me in the vestibule. Before proceeding to the first étage where the patient lived, I was given a brief outline of the case.

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his main interests in life, and being without much intellectual resource, he has generally occupied himself by having an occasional flutter."

"Is his illness the result of bad speculation?" I asked, to cut short the doctor, whose expositions were often somewhat lengthy.

"I understand not," he replied. "But the subject enters into his case nevertheless. He has had a bad attack of double pneumonia, which left him so weak that his life was despaired of ten days ago."

great alarm.

I rushed down here without a moment's delay, expecting to find my patient in wild delirium. Nothing of the kind. His temperature had come down from 106 to 102; his pulse was steady; his appetite had returned."

"Has he had a relapse, then, since that remarkable recovery?" I asked.

"Not yet, but we fear it may be imminent," answered Dr Lenkenzimmer. "There are private rumours, which have not yet reached the press, that these shares are on the verge

"Then he did not fulfil your of a sensational collapse, and expectation?"

"No, a remarkable thing happened; and it is this new aspect of the case which has caused me to invite your cooperation. In one of those sudden accesses of energy, which often occur so inexplicably in persons who are on the verge of final collapse, Herr Breitbach asked for the Berliner Tageblatt.' Turning to the financial columns, he saw an announcement to the effect that the shares of United German Pickles, Ltd., had suddenly gone up five points, and that an immense boom in them was confidently expected in Bourse circles. From that moment he was a changed man. He flung his pillow at his nurse, called for pickled herrings and sauerkraut, threatened to get out of bed, and could, in fact, hardly be restrained."

that the whole thing has been a cleverly engineered Bourse coup. The shock of the failure will, no doubt, have a most deleterious-probably a fataleffect upon Herr Breitbach."

"He's deeply involved, I suppose?" I remarked.

"To some extent, at any rate," was the reply. "The family don't know the extent of his commitments, but his flutters are generally for moderate amounts."

After this preliminary talk we walked up to the first étage. "How is your master? the doctor inquired of the maid who answered the door.

"Ach, he is restless and impatient," she answered. "A good sign,” he whispered to me.

We found the patient sitting up in bed propped up by pillows, with his wife and a

"This was reported to you, uniformed nurse present in the of course?"

"They telephoned for me in

VOL. CCXX.-NO. MCCCXXXI.

room.

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asked the doctor cheerfully, at the same time presenting me as his colleague.

"I am waiting for the evening paper to be brought. How late it is this afternoon!" said the patient in a peevish tone.

"Ah, you must not allow yourself to be worried about those shares," declared the doctor. "You know how it is. They are up one day and down the next. It is better to sell out and have no further anxiety in the matter."

"It is

"Yes," I agreed. sound advice that the Herr Doctor gives you. When you are recovering from a serious illness, tranquillity of mind is one of the first essentials."

I little thought, as I uttered these platitudes, how unsound an opinion I was giving in reality.

Herr Breitbach, formerly a large man of robust constitution-though now a mere wreck of his former self, I was assured, -smiled grimly at my remarks. "Feel my pulse," he said, stretching an arm towards me. I placed my fingers lightly on it.

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At this moment a servant entered the room, bringing a newspaper, which was at once handed to the invalid. He turned quickly to the financial part of the paper, and there, to our consternation, we could all see printed in large letters, "Heavy fall in United German Pickles Shares."

In the corner of the room, out of the invalid's sight, some tubes of oxygen were stored in readiness for the emergency. The crisis, we felt, had now come; and neither Dr Lenkenzimmer nor I took our eyes for a moment off the sick man. But, to our astonishment, he never turned a hair. Feeling under his pillow, he drew forth

pocket-book and pencil, and began to note down some calculations in a methodical fashion. When he had finished, he returned the book to its place, set down the newspaper, smiled pleasantly at his wife, and heaved a sigh of satisfaction.

"That is well," he remarked contentedly after a pause. The shares have fallen four points. I have noted the fact. There is still a good margin of profit on the original price."

I took his wrist again mechanically. The pulse was quite normal.

As soon as we perceived that our services were not required and that no alarming symptoms were to be anticipated, the doctor and I took our departure. Frau Breitbach followed us out of the room, a thin little woman with a careworn face.

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